From Munich, fortunately, it is not very far It’s always good to recharge and breathe Interview @milortensia & @maschalinka

Munich’s cute, central neighborhood Haidhausen is home to the two sisters we met who have already build their career at a young age. Victora aka @milortensia is 22 and junior reader at a storybook publishing company, her sister Marie aka @maschalinka, who is only 21 years old, works as a junior contact woman for an ad agency – kudos to these two! We talked to them about happiness, mountains and fights amongst sisters.

@maschalinka and @milortensia are two separate streams that correlate, interact and inter-exchange with each other. How come?

We are both sisters and best friends, we have similar interests and preferences. That’s why we spend much time together, we even share a camera. Although we got several cameras we always end up taking only one with us, from experience the motifs we capture are usually very similar. Additionally, we look for scenes where one of us is part of the photo, we model on each other’s shots, that’s very convenient. Sometimes we post the same photos, one rule we set is that one is allowed to post the photos that one took and those one is seen on. Of course that overlaps and shows our close relationship on our Instagram streams.

Two sisters who work together very closely – does it always go well between you two, do you fight sometimes?

Especially because of the camera share we actually do get into fights sometimes if you like to call it that way. One is claming the photo to be hers and the other one is “sure” it was taken by her, and so on. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. We are sisters and we hardly ever begrudge each other for anything. In fact we have thought about starting a project together, that would be amazing.

What fascinates you about the alpine world?

We grew up in central Germany, in a landscape of hills, but even as kids we spend some time in mountain regions. Now that we live right in the city, we enjoy so much to spend weekends out of town. Luckily, it’s not very far from Munich, it’s always good to recharge and breathe. Mountain landscapes are very multifaceted, depending on altitude, season and whether one is situated close to a lake.Being surrounded by majestic peaks is amazing, we love the most to stand on top of a mountain, gazing into the distance. Spotting snowcapped mountains, valleys or blankets of clouds. It’s the very best feeling and every minute of exhaustion is long forgotten.

This quote by François Lelord describes our fascination for mountains very well: “Happiness i good walk in the midst of beautiful and unknown mountains.“

You guys are wanderlust fans, very often you are surrounded by the most stunning sceneries. How would you describe a typical photo shooting, does it happen by chance, is it a spontaneous suggestion or do you plan precisely?

We don’t go into nature in order to take photos but the other way around, it’s where we feel comfortable. We simply capture our most beautiful moments and motifs on camera, normally very spontaneously. Of course we think about where to go but once we are there, we simply soak it all up and get inspired by nature and scenery. For example, we spot a ledge and get the idea that one of us can stand on it. You can’t plan what nature looks like, we leave it to itself.

How did you become interested in photography and eventually joined Instagram?

We’ve always enjoyed photographing, with small analog cameras for kids, as teenagers we did photo shooting with friends. Especially while traveling we discovered our love to photography, nowadays we shoot with a DSLR. We discovered Instagram a couple of years ago thanks to a friend. Back then we never thought that IG would become our favourite social media platform and that it would become that popular. We use IG as a source of inspiration in terms of photography. No more, no less.

What do you enjoy capturing the most?

In the past, our favourite motifs were our cats and the one or other still life. Meanwhile, our favourite motifs are definitely beautiful sceneries, mountains, the ocean… Germany and elsewhere, either one is fine. Our next project is to ask friends to take portaits of us. It would be great to take them outside, somewhere in a beautiful surrounding.

i>How do you equip for a mountain tour?

We go very easy with equipment and only take what’s really needed. Most of the time that means we only take our Canon 50d, nothing else. We’re not very technically adept – to us it is more important to have an eye for great motifs combined with beautiful places. And how to capture that very moment.

How far would you go for a good photo?

Hmm, that’s a tricky question. Sometimes we step on a ledge in order to take a good photo. Sometimes we take a little risk, but generally we are rather balanced.

What was your best experience if it comes to photography, and why?

Two years ago we went to the Atacama Desert in Peru. That moment as the sun was setting at the end of the dunes was one of the best experiences the two of us ever shared. Sand dunes wherever you look and every few minutes the colours and the light of the sunset changed. Sometimes you know exactly that it’s a unique experience, something that will never come again and you almost go crazy because you are trying to take the best photos, trying to capture your feelings in this very moment.

Finally: Mountains or ocean? What are you attracted to the most?

That’s not hard to gues… mountains! The ocean is wide and endlessly beautiful, we love to be by the seaside. But the mountains are that diverse, fascinating, majestic, we are more impressed by.